Ranchers, farmers may consider 'selling' their problems

By LORI COPE | East Texas Edition

Snares can be used to detain coyotes, but mostly hunters prefer to hunt coyotes at night using a spotlight, wounded animal sound, and a firearm.

April 17, 2003 -- East Texas farmers and ranchers know the problems created by wild hogs and coyotes. They also know that when "enough is enough," action has to be taken to rid the field- and pasture-rooting hogs, and livestock-killing coyotes, from the area.

A one-on-one attack can be launched by the farmer or rancher, yet some creative, money-making methods can also be utilized.

In Texas, coyotes and wild hogs can be hunted and killed by a property owner on their property, or on someone else's property if they have permission, and if they have a hunting license. There is no "season" to hunt the animals, and they can be hunted and killed any time of the day or night.

"Currently though, as we speak, there is legislation in the works that a person would not have to have a (hunting) license when shooting a wild hog. We'll see if that passes," noted Shawn Reneau, a Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden based in Hopkins County.

The game warden also pointed out that it is never legal to hunt from the road. So if a licensed, or unlicensed, hunter sees a pack of coyotes running across the road, or some wild hogs rooting up some terrain on the side of the road, stopping the vehicle and popping one is an illegal act.

There are some methods for killing hogs and coyotes that do not involve a gun. Killing hogs with a substance found in clay pigeons, or with the mineral Rumensin, are methods rumored to be effective. Reneau said he has heard, "but I don't know myself," that crushing clay pigeons and letting the hogs eat the substance can kill them. Coyotes can be detained in snares, but poison cannot be put out because it could harm other animals.

Landowners can also consider some creative, money-making methods for depopulating coyotes and wild hogs. Wild hogs can be trapped and caged, then sold, sometimes for as much as 50 cents a pound, according to Reneau. Persons wanting to buy the hogs include those that use them to train their "hog dogs," or those who turn them out on their property so they can hold jackpot hunts or lease the land for hunts.

"I've heard of people paying $100 to $150 a day to come out (to your property) and hunt hogs," Reneau said.

A jackpot hunt pits individuals or teams against each other for who's going to kill the most hogs, or coyotes.

If the hunt is for coyotes, it's good to have several properties involved, "because once you shoot, that's pretty much it for coyotes," the game warden said about getting coyotes close enough to shoot. Coyotes can be drawn to the hunter by using a caller that sounds like a wounded rabbit or bird.

Spotlights can also be used when hunting coyotes and wild hogs at night. Reneau explained that using a red filter over the spotlight helps because "for some reason, the coyote can't see the light when it's filtered with that color."

In a jackpot hunt, those entered pay a fee to play. The winner, deemed by the number or weight of killed coyotes or hogs, gets all the money in the pot.

In a variation of the jackpot hunt, some of the money in the pot goes to a non-profit organization or club. In Wood County earlier this year, the county's 4-H club hosted a jackpot coyote and wild hog hunt. Over $600 was raised for the youth organization. The winning hog hunting team, made up of Rickey Long, Sammy Young, and Adam McMahon, brought in a 261-pound hog. The winning coyote hunting team, made up of D.J. Anderson, Scott Nugent, and Caleb Barber, brought in six head.

Texas is one of a few states where it is legal to have a bounty (or reward) for killed coyotes and wild hogs, but few counties utilize the system. Reneau said a bounty on coyotes in Wood County ended last year. He mentioned that years ago "when there were a lot of coyotes and the dairy indsutry was good," Hopkins County paid hunters for evidence of a killed coyote.

Currently, lawmakers in Indiana are working to establish the legalities for a bounty on coyotes in their state, according to a recent story from The Associated Press.

Raymon West, who has farmed and raised cattle for years on 600 acres in southwestern Oklahoma near the Texas border, said he hates coyotes with a passion. He is not surprised that they are wearing out their welcome in Indiana.

''I'd gladly shoot the last one on Earth right between the eyes,'' West said.